Architect gets 31 years in rape, attempted murder

SANTA ANA – A Chicago architect apologized Thursday after he was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison for raping and attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend in her Ladera Ranch neighborhood.

Mark Alan Jarosik, 46, testified in October that he punched the woman in the face, pushed her in the gutter and bashed her head into the curb in "a rash impulse," but never wanted to kill her.

The woman survived the attack but was left with physical impairments, including memory loss, prosecutors said.

"I just like to express how sorry I am for all the pain I caused (her), emotional and psychological," the defendant told Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseño on Thursday.

An Orange County jury deliberated about half a day before finding Jarosik guilty of multiple charges, including rape, attempted sodomy, attempted murder and soliciting an Orange County jail inmate to murder the woman.

Jarosik "brutally banged her head" over and over into the curb until he was subdued by the victim's neighbors, Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors.

He was out on bail on charges of rape and attempted sodomy and in violation of a restraining order when he attacked the victim in 2009.

"I am just happy for the victim to have closure to this case," Walker said after the sentencing. "It has been a long road to get here."

Jarosik left his thriving business, three children and his wife in Chicago after he and the woman began a relationship in Las Vegas.

When the relationship ended, Jarosik chased after the victim in hopes of resurrecting their love, defense attorney Michael Molfetta told jurors during trial.

"He saw (her). He snapped," Molfetta said.

Briseño addressed Jarosik on Thursday, saying “you don’t belong in front of this court, but the nature of the offenses for which you were convicted are egregious.”